A Nicholas County native will be officially welcomed as the new West Virginia Mountaineer mascot next month. Braden Adkins is an economics major from Richwood, and will accept the role during a special ceremony next month, according to a news release from WVU. Adkins has been an alternate mascot for the past year, backing up Boone County’s Mikel Hager. The rifle will be passed from Hager to Adkins on April 26 at the Mountainlair Gluck Theatre. A public reception will be held at the Mountainlair Vandalia Lounge prior to the ceremony. Justin Waybright, a junior from Parkersburg, will serve as the new alternate mascot.